|
|
 |
| The League of Spies |
| SHORT STORY (2004) |
| Aaron Allston |
| Paizo Publishing |
|
|
Synopsis:
SPIES OF TARHASSAN
Joram Kithe and the ARC Trooper Mapper (out of uniform)
are sent to the planet Tarhassan, which has recently
seceded from the Republic and joined the Confederacy.
This came as a complete shock to the Republic, since the
Intelligence agent stationed there (Edbit Teeks)
disappeared a week prior to the secession. Joram's job
is to find this agent, with the aid of Mapper and three
others: Cherek Tuhm, Tinian Hanther and Livintius Sazet.
But, as Joram discovers to his dismay, the other three
"spies" are utterly incompetant! And for good
reason; thanks to Joram's unexpected success on Pengalan,
a Senate subcommittee decided to try out other
government employees as spies. Thus he's stuck with
Cherek, a bully from the Ministry of Licenses and
Permits; Tinian, a woman from the Department of Health
("I specialize in grains"); and finally
Livintius, a Falleen from the Ministry of Education who
insists on drawing up a formal agenda for everything.
Joram does (finally) get from them that Edbit had a
lover, Zazana Renkel, who secretly worked for Planetary
Security. And, to find Edbit, they intend to capture
Zazana and interrogate her until she tells them where he
is. But first, Livintius has to set a time and place for
the next meeting…
That night, the group of would-be spies cruise through
the city of Nehass in a compact landspeeder to Zazana's
apartment. While Cherek asks Livintius for the
sub-agenda, Joram suggests Mapper simply walk up to her
(he sees her outside the building) and grab her while
they're arguing. Cherek is infuriated that Joram won't
stick to the plan, and insists Joram publicly vow to
follow his orders - or else be sent back home to
Coruscant in disgrace. Biting the inside of his mouth,
Joram agrees. Back at Cherek's rented quarters, the
bungling continues as Cherek unintentionally tells
Zazana all about their mission. She insists she doesn't
know where Edbit is, and Livintius decides they'll have
to kill her. Joram, sensing a disaster in the making,
tells Mapper to do it "like those guys we took out
(knocked out) to get into the spacecraft bay on Pengalan."
While Mapper's doing that, Joram decides to check out
Edbit's house on his own. He finds the place trashed,
and activates a signal lamp he spots by a window. A
short time later, an informant working for Edbit arrives
and receives credits from Joram. He tells him Edbit was
taken from the restaurant where he works and is now
being held in the Planetary Security main office - and
when he returns to the other spies, he learns Cherek is
planning a jailbreak there. Tinian will wear Zazana's
confiscated PS uniform to get in there, saddened and
determined not to let Zazana's "death" be a
waste (a hopeful sign to Joram). The following morning,
she and Joram (acting as her "prisoner") make
it to the cell block area and spring Edbit. Mapper blows
an explosive outside to provide a distraction for them
to escape the building. A guard gets the jump on them -
and Cherek leaps between them and takes a blaster shot
to the chest before Tinian can gun the guard down. The
shot isn't fatal though, and Edbit and Zazana are seen
to safety before the group of spies blast offworld.
Tinian confides in Joram that she's going to recommend
Cherek, Livintius and herself receive more training.
"Welcome to Intelligence," Joram beams as he
shakes her hand.
Synopsis taken from Christopher
G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.
|
|
Chronology:
This story occurs 2 months after the Battle of Geonosis,
approximately 22 years before the Battle of Yavin. |
|
|
Related Stories (in
chronological order):
|
|
|
|